Hello, I am new to the simplefit program, and I'm very confused about what exactly is required for the level one workouts. I am completely new to working out so I started on level one. I've tried to clarify through the detailed explanations of the workouts but that has left me even more confused. My first question is this:

On level one, day one, it says

"Do 1 pull-up, then 2 push-ups, then 3 squats; that is 1 round. Complete as many rounds a possible in 20 minutes."

Does this include rest time?

On day two, it says

"Do 2 pull-ups, then 6 push-ups, and finally 10 squats to complete one round. See how quickly you can complete each of the 5 rounds, resting approximately 3 minutes between each round. Do not count the rest time in your total time."

So I do one round, timing how fast I complete it, than take a three minute break and repeat four more times? Is my total time my best out of the five rounds, or the average of all five times? Is this the stat I use to determine if I should move on to the next level?

On day three, it says

"Do 10 pull-ups, then 21 push-ups, then 21 squats as quickly as you can counting any rest time taken. Stay 1-2 repetitions below failure, and do not train to failure."

Do I just do this once, timing the entire round including rest time? In terms of staying below failure, does that mean I should stop and rest when I feel like I can't do anymore until I regain energy and can continue? Do I have to do them in that exact order or can I break them up? Is this the stat I use to determine if I should move on to the next level?

I'm apologize for the long post, I have literally never exercised a day in my life outside of gym class in "ye olden days" of youth and I don't know what I'm doing really.

1) Yes, on day 1 you count rest time. You start the clock and do as many rounds as you can in those 20 minutes. You can stop to rest, but the clock keeps ticking.

2) No, day 2 does not determine your level progression. The idea of timing on day 2 is just to keep you motivated to do the sets with as little rest as possible. A day 2 workout log looks like this:

Rounds: 00:52, 00: 51, 00:55, 00: 48, 00:57. Each round is timed independently, and rest time between sets is not counted. Timing on day 2 is not very important, and some people choose not to time it at all. Timing is only important on days 1 and 3.

3) On day 3, you have 5 minutes total time to complete the round. So you do count rest time. As on day 1, the clock never stops! You can break a set in smaller sets, say, 10 pullups = you do 4, then rest 10 seconds, then do another 3, rest 15 seconds, do another 4. Then you move to pushups. Say, 12 pushups total = you do 6, rest a little, do another 6. Then move on to squats, etc.

The idea is to complete all the round in less than 5 minutes. The clock never stops, so if you rest too much, you don`t complete in less than five min. That`s what determines your progression. If you complete in less than 5 min, you move up a level. Day 3 is called "judgment day".

Staying below failure is stopping before you can no longer move and resting until you can restart. You have to do the sets in the order prescribed (pullups, pushups, squats) but you can break them up in smaller sets, as I said above. In fact, as you progress, you WILL have to break in smaller sets in order to complete. It`s very hard to crank out 30 pullups without stopping midset!

In all days, if you are too exhausted to continue, even after rest, just stop. Don`t push yourself too hard, especially in the beginning, and make sure to rest for a day between sessions. Eat well and sleep well. Congratulations for starting your training!
If you have an android phone, install the simplefit app. Look for simplefit on google play. It helps with timing, logging and instructions. I`m not sure if iPhone has an app.
Best luck,
Edie

Hey guys. One more question: You mentioned breaking up sets on day 3. What about doing half of your pullups, then doing half the pushups.... and doing the remaining pullups after you've done some pushups and/or squats? Any reason you need to finish all the pullups before moving on to the pushups? For that matter, does the order matter at all?

Also, that is a LOT of pullups! Are people doing the Cross-fit style pull-ups (I think they call them kip pullups) or the actual slow-movement type described on the SimpleFit page?

You'd be able to do more total reps (or take less time to do a fixed number) doing alternates (half of the pull ups and half of the push ups) than doing sequences (all the pull ups followed by all the push ups). If you do alternates on Day 3 and take that methodology to its extreme (1 pull up, 2 push ups, and 3 squats) , it would look like Day 1.
Day 3 is the judgement day. I guess the point is a way to measure how far each of the muscle groups have come. How many can reps can those muscles sustain in sequence. Day 3 regulates your movement through the levels. It stops you from moving on too early, before your muscles are ready for the next level. It minimizes your chances of getting injured.
I learnt it in the last months that I moved too quickly from Level 2 to Level 3. My elbows are hurting from pull ups. The muscles that are supposed to be used in pull ups, I guess, are not built as good as they ought to be for Level 3. Consequently, I am grappling with stresses on tendons in my elbows. I learnt my lesson. I will be mastering one level before moving to the next higher one